Culminating negotiations between JSPS and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) on formulating the contents of a memorandum of understanding on research cooperation, Prof. Vladislav Khomich, RFBR’s president, and Dr. Vladimir Khromov, director of RFBR’s International Relations Department, came to Japan to hold the MoU signing ceremony. At the Palace Hotel in Tokyo on 28 September 2004, the groundbreaking MoU was signed by Prof. Khomich and JSPS president Prof. Motoyuki Ono. Joint research, along with workshops and other activities, will be supported under the MoU. A call for joint research proposals is scheduled to be issued at the beginning of 2005.

Attending the signing ceremony as an observer was Mr. Naoki Murata, deputy director general of Science and Technology Policy Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Prof. Vladislav Khomich and Prof. Motoyuki Ono